POTTSTOWN — Close, but no wins for The Hill School wrestling team in Wednesday afternoon’s Tri-Meet against two out-of-state opponents at Sweeney Gymnasium.

First, the Blues outwrestled Lawrenceville (N.J.) School, but forfeited three lightweight bouts along the way in a 41-31 loss.

Then the match against St. Benedict’s (N.Y.) Prep came down to the final bout, with the Blues needing a pin to tie the score and send it into tie-breaking criteria. But they could only manage a major decision that included a pair of near falls and would up with a 40-37 setback in that one.

Chad Saunders (138 pounds), Nick Flanigan (145), and Eugene Alvey (220) each won twice for The Hill (6-7). In the middle match of the day, Lawrenceville (6-2) edged St. Benedict’s (3-4), 40-35.

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“The first one, forfeits certainly hurt us,” said Blues coach Mark Pearson. “That’s all we can do right now. Our kids are all improving. They’re taking really positive steps forward and learning and getting tougher.”

Against the Big Red, a decision by Alvey and a 48-second pin by heavyweight Kostya Golobokov (19-6) gave the Blues a 9-5 lead after three bouts. But three straight forfeits and a couple of losses by pins dug the hosts a 35-9 hole before Saunders (22-2) ended the skid with an 11-3 win.

Flanigan (22-3) followed with a pin in just 46 seconds. An 11-5 win by 160-pounder Cameron Dewey; a pin with two seconds left by Chase Stormer at 170; and a hard-fought 4-3 decision by Johnnie Cherneskie at 182 got The Hill close, but not close enough.

The match against the Bees went back and forth with either forfeits or pins — including wins by falls by the Blues’ Will Garrett, Saunders, Flanigan, and Steve Breeding — through the first 10 bouts that resulted in a 30-30 tie. Then St. Benedict’s went on top with a pin and Terrell Forbes, who came into the day with a 24-4 record, won a major decision over Cherneskie for a 40-30 advantage.

John Hill kept the Blues alive with a 10-0 major in the second to the last bout and Alvey nearly earned a pin twice in the second period while racking up an 8-0 lead, but had to settle for an 8-1 win when he could not turn over David Zola in the final period.

“I like what I see so far,” said Pearson. “They’re definitely putting in the time and putting in the technique. It’s coming down to the end of the season. It’s the right time to put things together.”

Some of the Blues’ improvement can certainly be attributed to the tough schedule they are wrestling this year, which has included the always challenging Christmas City Tournament at Bethlehem Catholic and this weekend’s Escape the Rock Tournament at Council Rock South.

“We’re definitely raising the level of the schedule,” said Pearson. “Our competition is clearing increasing in quality, and that’s the plan. They feel like they’re learning, and they like that. They’re asking to go to these tournaments.”

And down the road, such schedules should put the Blues in a position where they won’t have to forfeit crucial bouts.

“We’re going to continue to improve the schedule,” Pearson added. “And kids will want to come here because of the competitive schedule.”